


Anniversary Fight

by flippyspoon



Series: Pour Some Sugar on Me [31]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: M/M, flangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 06:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16868221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flippyspoon/pseuds/flippyspoon





	Anniversary Fight

“Because you’re not helping! Okay! You’re just telling me what to do-”

“Steve, can you calm down for a second-”

“STOP TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN-”

“Steve-”

“Oh, like you’re so calm, yeah you’re Mr. Even Tempered!”

“Jesus Christ…

“You’re trying to tell me what to do because you think I’m stupid-”

“No, I don’t-”

“Like you’re so smart and you’re so even tempered-”

“I think you’re being stupid right  _now_ -”

“Then let’s stop talking! Happy anniversary!”

Steve slammed the bedroom door shut hard, so hard that the walls rattled and it made Billy jump. He had found that since he’d…matured, since he’d grown and found ways to handle anger, stuff like that shook him up a little bit.

They weren’t supposed to slam doors. They had a rule about that.

But Steve was freaking out.

That much was obvious. Steve only acted that way when he was panicking. When he was pissed he didn’t blow up like that, and sometimes angry on Steve looked more like sad. That had taken a couple of years for Billy to fully puzzle out. No, Steve was panicking. It was because sales at the record shop had slipped because the tourist season was over and school was starting. The thing was, they’d known sales would slip in the fall. It was their first year owning the store, but they’d seen it coming. Yet Billy couldn’t quite get this through to Steve. Steve insisted sales we’re slipping too much. They were going to lose the store! They were going to have to ask his parents for money! What kind of strings would his parents want? Terrible strings! What if they wanted Steve to move back to Indiana!

Now Steve was shut up in the bedroom and Billy knew what would happen next.

Steve would calm down and then he’d feel horribly guilty because not only had he blown up at Billy over nothing, but it was also their seven-year  _anniversary_. They were supposed to be going out to dinner. Billy was already wearing Steve’s current favorite shirt on him; the cerulean button-up.

Billy sighed and went out to the back-steps. Their little rented house was on a hill about ten minute drive from the beach and their back-yard had a nice lawn and an orange tree and Billy felt it smelled like the beach even though it was a far walk.

Seven years they’d been together. Seven years since the first date after dancing around each other as good friends for a bit. Billy had wanted that date so badly, had wanted the sex so badly, had wanted every little second he could get of Steve’s company so badly.

Steve had done the asking out. He still got a kick out of bringing it up.

_Who asked who out, huh?_

Billy hadn’t even tried because he hadn’t imagined in a million years that he had a shot.

Then Billy had finally told Steve that he was gay as they were sitting on the edge of the pool in the Harrington’s backyard on an unseasonably warm September day.

He could still remember the way Steve had jerked when he looked at Billy. “You’re  _gay_?” Steve had said.

Billy had turned nearly purple and his heart had raced, not out of anticipation but because he was terrified this hard won friendship with Steve was now lost forever.

“Yeah.” Billy remembered staring at Steve’s feet in the water as he said it. Even Steve’s feet seemed cute.

He’d heard Steve breathe in and out then; once, twice, three times. And then he’d said, “Do wanna like…go out?”

Billy’s shoulders had unclenched. So Steve didn’t hate him. What a load off. He assumed Steve wanted to hang out like friends, like usual, and he’d lain on his back on the warm cement and squinted up at Steve who was leaning on his hand, looking down at him, hair flopping over into his eye, the bright sun behind him. “What, tomorrow? Sure. Where?”

“No, I mean…” Steve had chewed on his lips, looked right at Billy. Bold, brave Harrington. “I mean go out on a  _date_. With me.” Then he’d smiled with all his teeth.

“Hey.” Billy heard a sniffle and then Steve was sitting down beside him on the back steps, still wiping his red eyes. It was only about six but they’d miss their dinner reservation now. It would still be light out for a while. Billy took a drag and snuck a look at Steve.

“Hey, yourself.”

“I am…so sorry-”

“I know-”

“No, I know, but let me say it.”

“Okay, go ahead,” Billy said, stifling a chuckle.

“I was freaking out because of the store and I took it out on you and that wasn’t fair at all.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, well I only just realized it.” Steve clapped his hands to his eyes. “And on our anniversary! I ruined it!”

“No, ya didn’t.”

“Yah huh! And…” Steve dropped his hands and sighed miserably. “I’m so sorry I slammed the door like that.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not! We have those rules for a reason!”

“I mean those rules are mostly for me,” Billy pointed out.

“No! NO way. All the rules are for both of us. No double-standards! Right?”

“I mean…” Billy grinned, feeling so much better now that Steve had calmed down. He put his cigarette out in the little pail of sand for his butts. “That’s not entirely true, babe. Like you’re not allowed to fix the pilot light in the stove because you’d absolutely burn the house down and I’m not allowed to drink Jagermeister and you’re not allowed to drive the Camaro unless it’s an emergency because you can’t drive stick-”

“Oh my God, you know what I meant. Plus the last one is because you’re paranoid, I drive stick just fine-”  
“You ride the clutch too hard.”

“Paranoid,” Steve said, pretending to cough. “I drive  _your_  stick just fine, don’t I?”

“Oh, more than fine, baby,” Billy said huskily. “But I’m easier than a Camaro.”

Steve snorted at that. “Man… I’m so sorry. I was really looking forward to tonight too. I didn’t mean to…”

“Night’s not over yet,” Billy pointed out. “Hasn’t even started.” Steve leaned against him and Billy threw an arm around his shoulders. “I am the luckiest guy in the universe. I know that. Been the luckiest guy in the universe for seven goddamn years.”

“Yeah right,” Steve said.

“I don’t care if you agree, I know it’s true.” Billy turned his head and nosed his way into the crook of Steve’s neck to kiss him there a couple times before he leaned back again. “Babe, I didn’t think I’d get the first date, let alone seven years.”

“And who asked who out?” Steve said, sounding more like his usual self. “Huh? Huh?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Billy laughed, squeezing. “You did. My bold, brave Harrington.”

“Hmmm.” Steve nuzzled his shoulder. “I still wanna have a nice anniversary dinner but… I dunno, I don’t feel like going out now. Do you?”

Billy said, “I feel like grabbing some steak and tequila at the store and firing up the grill for some carne asada right here. How’s that?”

“ _Perfect_. I’ll go to the store. Won’t be a minute. You get the grill ready.”

“Sounds good.”

“Okay.”

“Uh, but babe…”

“Here it comes.”

“Don’t take the Camaro.”


End file.
